Journal Article

Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in HIV-vertically infected young patients after three doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

Vanetti, Claudia, Biasin, Mara, Trabattoni, Daria, Fenizia, Claudio, Zuccotti, Gian Vincenzo, Giacomet, Vania, Rubinacci, Valeria, Tanzi, Elisabetta, Garziano, Micaela, Amendola, Antonella, Stracuzzi, Marta, Crivellaro, Elisa, Clerici, Mario, Ciciliano, Federica

2023

Overview

Data on the efficacy of three SARS-CoV-2 mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine doses and the role of previous SARS-CoV-2-infection in enhancing vaccine immunogenicity in HIV-vertically-infected people living with HIV (PLWH) are limited, as is the duration of vaccine-induced responses. SARS-CoV-2 plasma neutralizing activity (NA) against the European (B.1), Delta (B.1.617.2) and Omicron (B.1.1.529) variants and cell-mediated immunity (CMI) were analyzed in 29 ART-treated young PLWH (mean age 27.9 years) and 30 healthy controls (HC) who received three BNT162b2 vaccine doses. Individuals were stratified based on the presence/absence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection (infected and vaccinated -SIV-; uninfected and vaccinated -SV-). Analyses were performed before vaccination (T0), 25 days from the second dose (T1), the day the third dose was administered (T2), and 3 months after the third dose (T3). In PLWH: i) NA against all variants was higher in SIV compared to SV at T2 and was increased at T3; ii) switched-memory plasmablasts were augmented in SIV alone at T2 and T3; iii) a SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell memory was generated; iv) IFN-γ-secreting CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were boosted at T3 mainly in SV. CMI magnitude was reduced in PLWH compared to HC. Notably, after the third dose of vaccine viremia was unmodified, but CD4 T cell counts were reduced>20% in 3/29 PHLW. A third dose of BNT162b2 vaccine induces strong humoral and CMI responses in young ART-treated PLWH independently from a previous SARS-CoV-2 natural infection. The lower magnitude of CMI responses should be considered when planning mRNA vaccine booster doses in PLWH.

• Publisher: Frontiers Media SA,Frontiers Media S.A
• Subject: Adult / Antiretroviral therapy / BNT162 Vaccine / CD4 antigen / CD8 antigen / Cell-mediated immunity / COVID-19 - prevention & control / COVID-19 SIV individuals / COVID-19 Vaccines / Enrollments / HIV / HIV Infections / Human immunodeficiency virus / Humans / Immune response / Immune response (cell-mediated) / Immune response (humoral) / Immunity (Disease) / Immunity, Cellular / immunocompromised subjects / Immunogenicity / Immunological memory / Immunology / Lymphocytes T / Memory cells / mRNA / Observational studies / Peptides / Plasma / PLWH / RNA, Messenger / SARS-CoV-2 / SARS-CoV-2 vaccine efficacy / Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 / Vaccines / Viral infections / Viremia / γ-Interferon